Evaluating All of Sandy Alderson Moves

In July 2015, I posted a rundown of all of the free agent signings and trades Sandy Alderson had made as Mets GM. About a week ago, I decided to update the list. And then came Alderson’s cancer recurrence, which could mean the end of his career at the helm in Flushing. So what I thought would be the latest in to an ongoing series could be the final addition.

It should be noted Alderson has been busy over the past three years. He had made just 14 trades in his first four and a half years on the job; he has made 19 since. Some of them good, some bad.

A little about my methodology. A bad trade or signing (in red) is one that either backfired on the Mets (Frank Francisco, for example) or resulted in absolutely nothing for the team (Ike Davis-Zach Thornton, Blake Taylor). A good move (in green) is one where the player worked out (Bartolo Colon) or where the team benefited just by getting rid of a player, regardless of the return (Francisco Rodriguez-Danny Herrera, Adrian Rosario or Antonio Bastardo for Jon Niese).

As you will see, Alderson has done a pretty bad job on the free agent front, while his trades have been a mixed bag. Some of the more recent poor moves could prove to be good in the long run (such as his salary dumps for a bunch of middle reliever prospects last year), but right now, they need to be in red. So without further adieu, the list of Sandy Alderson’s failures and successes. Let the argument begin.

Free Agents:12/11 Jon Rauch: One year, $3.5 million12/11 Frank Francisco: Two years, $12 million1/13 Shaun Marcum: One year, $4 million11/13 Chris Young: One year, $7.25 million12/13 Curtis Granderson: Four years, $60 million12/13 Bartolo Colon: Two years, $20 million11/14 Michael Cuddyer: Two years, $21 million
12/14 John Mayberry: One year, $1.45 million12/15 Asdrubal Cabrera: Three years, $24.75 million (including option, which Mets picked up)12/15 Alejandro De Aza: One year, $5.75 million1/16 Antonio Bastardo: Two years, $12 million6/16 Jose Reyes: Three years, $3 million (approximate: includes pro-rated MLB minimum for 2016, minimum for 2017 and $2 million for 2018)12/17 Anthony Swarzak: Two years, $14 million12/17 Jose Lobaton: One year, $1.25 million1/18 Jay Bruce: Three years, $39 million1/18 Adrian Gonzalez: One year, $545,0002/18 Todd Frazier: Two years, $17 million2/18 Jason Vargas: Two years, $16 million5/18 Jose Bautista: One year, $545,000